A prayer of hope after the Boston Marathon bombing

“Behold days are coming, says the Lord…and they shall rebuild.” From our Haftarah this Shabbat Amos 9:13

God of peace, God of healing God of the grief-stricken, We call You, we invoke You We pray to You:Oh my God, we called out to You as a day of celebration Turned to mourning.Oh my God The shock The senselessness Innocent lives cut short Wounded victims Heartbreaking cries of panic and grief. But through the darkness came The light The hope The heroes The selfless caring of first responders Arms extended in comfort and love, Your messengers on earth. God, send comfort to grieving families, Send healing to the wounded, Send wisdom and strength to doctors and nurses Send calm to hearts filled with panic. Bless us with peace, God, Show us that we will rebuild In the face of tragedy. Grant us the power and wisdom To bring justice to those who harm us. Teach us that we will triumph over terror. We will not let this tragedy twist our spirits We choose hope over fear. We are resilient, we are strong We are one nation under God We will come together, hand in hand We will rebuild. Amen.

Rabbi Naomi Levy is spiritual leader of Nashuva, and the author of Hope Will Find You and Talking to God. This prayer was distributed by the Rabbinical Assembly.